September 22, 2022

*) Pressure on Putin as reservists called up for Ukraine campaign President Vladimir Putin's decision to send reservists to Ukraine has triggered protests and arrests at home, while Western leaders have lashed out at the Russian leader at the United Nations. Addressing the General Assembly, US President Joe Biden has accused Putin of "shamelessly" violating the UN Charter with an offensive aimed at "extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as a state." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded that the world punish Russia in a dramatic video address to the session. *) Erdogan: Russia, Ukraine swap 200 POWs under Türkiye's mediation Ukraine and Russia have exchanged more than 200 prisoners as a result of Türkiye's mediation and diplomatic efforts, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced. Erdogan has told reporters in New York City that the prisoner exchange was an "important step" towards ending the conflict between the two countries. A Ukrainian official said 215 soldiers had come home, including fighters who led a months-long defence of Azovstal steelworks in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol. *) Biden vows solidarity with Iran women as protests spread President Ebrahim Raisi has accused the West of hypocrisy in its criticism of Iran, where eight people were reported dead in growing protests over the death of a young woman arrested by morality police. Public anger has flared since authorities announced the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been held for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an improper way. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has vowed solidarity with Iranian women, and France's Emmanuel Macron has said that he asked Raisi to show "respect for women's rights." *) Trump, children sued for 'incredible' fraud in New York Donald Trump and family members have been accused of lying to tax collectors, lenders and insurers for years in a scheme that routinely misstated the value of his properties. The former president provided fraudulent statements of his net wo